1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to arrangements for holding goods on display in general, and more particularly to multifaceted display stands.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various constructions of display arrangements are already known, among them multifaceted display stands that are provided on more than one of their sides with shelves, bins or receptacles for the goods to be displayed. Display stands of this type are intended for use in store aisles and at similar locations where potential customers may approach the display stand from different directions or move about the stand to look at or examine the goods on display at any or all of the sides of the display stand.
In one known construction of a display stand of this kind, there is provided a hollow central post of a square cross section that, like the other components of the display stand, is made of a material that is frequently used in display stands of this type, namely corrugated board. The post, in its operative condition, is supported in an upright position on the store floor or the like. Four display receptacle structures are juxtaposed each with one of the sides of the central post, extending laterally beyond the same in a cantilevered fashion. The display receptacle structures are separate from the central post but are connected thereto by well-known means, such as by staples or the like. Each such display receptacle structure has several shelves or pockets for supporting and/or accommodating the goods to be displayed.
Experience with a display stand construction of the type described above has shown that, as advantageous as it may be in certain respects, it leaves much to be desired in others. So, for instance, the process of attaching (stapling) the display receptacle structures to the central post is rather laborious and cumbersome even if performed at a manufacturing plant, and requires a relatively high degree of skill and a more than usual degree of care on the part of the assembler, especially when performed, as it often is, at the point of use, that is, in a store or the like.
Moreover, this type of attachment is not necessarily completely reliable even if properly done, inasmuch as the forces acting on the staples as the assembled stack is being transported and/or erected, and those attributable to the influence of the weight of the items on display on the receptacle structures may cause deformation of the staples or, even more likely, tearing of the cardboard around them, with attendant loss of the connecting function of such fasteners.